What do we want to sustain?

Design staff, Paul Micklethwaite and Kate Egan, designed and delivered ‘What do we want to sustain?’, a multi-part student activity aimed at inspiring and enabling Design students to explore the potential of their creative practice to address challenges of unsustainability. The project began with a lecture and workshop session ‘How can we make a fairer society … by Design?’, during Future Me Week 2024, which was reframed as ‘Future We week’. Students from Levels 4 – 7 of courses across the Design department, were briefed with a presentation ‘From Carbon Literacy to Sustainability Literacy’, and then worked in design disciplinary groups using the Good Life Goals (a creative adaptation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals) to identify the goals they currently address and those they might address more. This immersive exploration of students’ current creative practice aimed to enable them to reflect, rethink, and reframe their ambitions; “This session will support you to sustain your creative practice by reflecting on where you want it to take you, and starting that journey.” The session was led by Paul Micklethwaite, supported by subject specialist tutors from Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Product Design and Textiles in Practice. This collaborative session then informed a process led by Kate Egan of commissioning new work for the Vertical Gallery, to be showcased at the 2024 Degree Show. L6 participants were invited to propose a creative output responding to the theme ‘What do we want to sustain?’ Thirty-four students submitted proposals, 27 pitched ideas and 19 works were commissioned, including 2 collaborations.

Enrichment and co-curriculum activities such as this are imperative to enabling students’ deeper understanding of their responsibility to climate agendas and how they can take positive action through their practical work which will better prepare them for future job opportunities.

Research theme: Creative climate action